Replacing a manually controlled valve with an electronically controlled automatic valve requires installing an expensive valve in an existing water, gas or fluid supply conduit, and providing a power source, for example pneumatic or electric power. In most cases, this requires a plumber or other skilled tradesman to execute the installation. The cost of installation may exceed the cost of the motorized valve. A method to easily and inexpensively convert a manually controlled valve into an automatic valve would provide a valuable solution to many applications.
In response to this need, a device that can be added inexpensively and easily to shut off the water supply to a property or to an appliance located at the property and can be controlled to shut off the water under a variety of conditions was developed and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,951 B1 to Drinkwater.
There are various other designs and implementations for automatically controlling various manual shut-off valves, varying in cost and complexity. However, what is needed is a valve actuator system that is more easily adapted to existing manual valves without interrupting plumbing connections, and configurable to effectively conduct or cause a valve control action such as a shut-down or shut-off action upon the occurrence of a specific event or condition.